Leg surgery gives former Sheffield miner his life back

Graham Parker underwent 30 operations on his legs after he was crushed between two cars

An ex-miner whose legs were snapped in an accident more than 33 years ago says surgery has "given me my life back".

Graham Parker, 60, was injured when he was trapped between two cars in a crash at Mansfield Colliery in 1988.

Faced with a choice between amputation or surgery he underwent 30 operations over 12 years but was left with limited movement and a permanently bowed leg.

Now, after a successful operation to straighten his leg, he has his sights set on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Recalling the accident, Mr Parker, from Sheffield, said it was a cold day in March, just before his 26th birthday, and he was pushing his car to try and get it started.

"It was dark, the car lights weren't working and a car crashed into the back of me, crushing me between two bumpers and snapping both my legs," he said.

"The right leg was a straight break, but I lost six inches of tibia on the left and it took 30 major operations just to get to the point where I could actually walk on it."

He said despite the deformity he managed to get back to living "an active life" for many years.

An x-ray of Mr Parker's leg pictured above prior to the straightening operation

He played rugby, took part in a 3,000ft (914m) parachute jump and climbed Machu Picchu in the Andes. But, in 2021, he said his knee became "ridiculously painful".

Mr Parker said he was seen by a surgeon at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital who told him he had "never seen a leg like it before".

The surgeon sent him to Sheffield Teaching Hospital's limb reconstruction team who put his leg in a metal frame, which Mr Parker then "adjusted, stretched and moved a little each day, with spanners", until the ankle was realigned to sit directly below the knee.

The successful treatment meant for the first time in more than three decades he was able to stand on two straight legs.

"I'll never forget the first day I stood up on two legs that were the same length for the first time in nearly 34 years - something amazing had happened," he said.

Mr Parker said he could never thank the NHS enough for enabling him to "stand upright and achieve the goals I want to achieve".

As a mark of gratitude he said he planned to climb Ben Nevis to raise money for the Northern General limb reconstruction physiotherapy unit, adding: "Putting it simply, they gave me my life back".

And, keen to challenge himself further still, he said: "My ultimate goal is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro."